Just been for an eye check up after a few mates (and Mrs. Blast;)) noticed a mark on one eye.Anyways it turns out I have Pterygium (Surfer's Eye) to go along with my life time of Surfers Ear.

I always wear sunnies, they are permanently on my head but I personally hate using them in the water kiting (only use them for teaching sometimes) but I have still managed to get this Pterygium. No biggy but worth considering wearing sunnies for all you guys that spend a good amount of time outdoors.

Yes...cumulative UV exposure even in the UK with cloud cover.....radiation goes through cloudsThe wind itself is also an irritant

If you do not like to wear sunnies as you call it then wear a color that is not dark....avoid "dulling" greyTry "brown tone" lenses like amber or copper....and polarized to eliminate more refected glare

For maximum clarity look for non-reflective backside on lenses and super hydrophobic on both sides(optional suggestion as it will add quite a lot to the cost)

Then not to lose your eyes savers cinched them to your head with croakies type retainerAdditionally your can run a short line from the retainer to the upper center back of your harnessThat way if they happen to fly off your head you can fish them out...they will be at arms length

I typically wear the cheapest sunglasses I can find because I lose them often. I worry the lenses may shatter if I hit the water hard and then go into my eye. Has that happened to anyone? Is that a real concern, or are the lenses much more likely to just pop out of the frames?

Cheers all, Toby interestingly I've only ever really needed them when kiting in Brazil, I'm guessing being close to the equator and the white water is very white!!Almost can't kite without them there...I think in my case it is also a case of wind irritating the eye as well as the brightness.

At least I got the all clear for glaucoma which runs in our family....and the optician said she rarely see's someone with such perfect long sighted vision...great for checking the ladies at the beach

Started wearing Seaspecs after another sunsoaked session resulted in the zombie look, horrendous red eyes. Cannot work out whether this is due to sore salty eyes, or whether its actually sunburn, believe it to be the latter, does not seem to happen as much on cloudy overcast days. Only issue I have with the glasses is getting a comfortable fit with a helmet.

Some brands of contact lens offer UV protection for the area they cover which can reduce the risk of pterygium, cataract and age related macular degeneration. However there are areas of the conjunctiva which will not be covered so pterygium is still a possibility.

Contact lenses don't do anything for the eyelid, so please do yourself a favor and google search for images of "Hughes flap" to see why you don't want skin cancer on your eyelid.

Finally, pathogens such as bacteria and amoeba can adhere to contact lenses, and any contact lens creates microscopic trauma to the corneal epithelium, increasing your risk for infections that could result in the need for a corneal transplant, or even loss of the eye. So the official party line for ophthalmology/optometry/optician societies is no swimming in contacts.

We see a fair amount of these problems in South Texas and as I perform the surgery and follow my patients in their recovery I would definitely agree that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So I would advocate UV protecting eyewear for all people on the water.

Hey supa,do contact lenses offer any uv protection? Are there any type that do?

YES Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear.....it blocks UV-A....UV-B....not 100% but pretty closeI wear the type for astigmatism and only wear them for kitesurfingI make them last about one month or about 20 days of kitesurfing

I still wear (plano) Non-RX Wrap sunglasses polarized copper color lenses over my contactsLens tint with high definition + high contrast works great even in lower light

You need to protect the whole eye...the lids..and surrounding areas

Select a frame that wrap in such a way as to minimize entry of sunlight around the rim and skin

So having both is your best assurance for 100% peace of mind and maximum protection

There is no splashing in the eyes riding surfboards like i do...i wear shades and they do spot lessThose of you who ride only twin tips and wear contacts get splashed a lot in the eyes A very good reason to wear shades to make you eyes get less irritated and also protect them

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